“Tell me!” Wexi cried from where she stood. Sam hesitated, not sure what he was looking at. Wexi stared, impatient. “You don’t like them?” she asked. “You should know these are initial skill options. You will get better ones.”

  Sam nodded, still looking at the list. “Let me read it out to you?” Wexi nodded, excited as though she was the one getting the skills. Sam was amused. “The first one is called Circuit Weaver. Looks interesting, but extremely limited. It is supposed to enable the user to understand and manipulate circuits, improving the efficiency and functionality of devices too. Not much to use that for that,” Sam said. Wexi cringed, nodding.

  “What about the next one?” she asked. Sam shrugged. He’d never been part of the tech communities in his past life, so most of what he was looking at wasn’t super familiar.

  “Gearwright’s Touch,” Sam said, reading the next name on the list. “This one is not all that terrible, I think.”

  “Yes, it does sound interesting. I am guessing it is some kind of augmentation skill? A lot of tech domain skills allow you to enhance or augment things. Not my favorite, but not bad either.”

  “It is supposed to enhance mechanical devices. It is supposed to do the same as the Circuit Weaver skill but for mechanical things. I think it should help me modify the weapons we were talking about, right? And there is something here about it being common. They are mostly common, except two that are not.”

  “Yes, I think you are right about the modification aspect of the skill. But the keyword there is modify, which is not the same as creating. I was hoping you would get something that’ll be better. Keep going.” She sat down on the couch, her right leg pushed under her as she leaned forward as though she could see Sam’s system window.

  “And the common status?” Sam asked, his eyes fixed on his message window. Of the five, there was only one that seemed similar to what Wexi was suggesting. He let her continue her lecture though, not wanting to get in the way of actually learning something useful. And Wexi was eager to teach. She seemed to beam.

  “Skills come in types or ranks. Common types mean the skill is popular in the tech domain. There are different ranks. And I don’t think we have seen most of them yet. The most we have seen are common, uncommon, and a few rare skills. Nothing legendary so far. I don’t think anyone on the Island has.”

  Sam nodded and continued, “The next is Energy Management. This would be useful though, not much initially, but eventually should serve. It is supposed to help me manage and optimize the consumption and flow of energy when using any tech system, and it optimizes outputs.” Sam wondered how that would have helped back in his old earth where there were computers, electric cars and most of the world was on the internet. He grinned, and not for the first time since he got here, he wished he was back home. Wexi pulled his attention back.

  “Still too limited. You need something that will help you physically, remember? Although, with Gearwright’s Touch you can optimize weapons crafted for you. What do you think?” She shrugged. “That is sad. All three are not quite what we need for immediate use, but I imagine we will ma—”

  “There are two more,” Sam said, frowning. “I got a list of five in total. Three common and two uncommon.”

  “Really?” Wexi asked, even more confused than Sam. “That has something to do with that legacy function you spoke about?”

  Sam shrugged. “I think so. It pops up almost every time and the skill options were changed.”

  Wexi nodded. “What else do you have? I hope it is something better than enhancing and the others.”

  “This one is better,” Sam said. “Proto-Crafting. It provides foundational knowledge of basic technological constructs for crafting with available materials. It is interesting, and it is uncommon. I can use them to create constructs and I don’t see any real drawback here,” Sam said. “The last one is for communication.”

  Wexi shook her head. “Expand that Proto-Crafting,” she said. “Read the complete information first. It's way too good to not have some a drawback.”

  Sam nodded. He picked the skill and the others vanished and more information spilled out. Sam read them out. “I need the blueprint for whatever I am trying to create. And it seems to have a form of your Component

  skill.”

  “Yes, but your ability to automatically create it makes it even more interesting. And imagine what you can do?” She giggled, waving at him. “Accept it quickly. I am eager to try something. Something simple for a start anyway.” She ran to her table and returned with a long, flat sheet of metal Sam didn’t know about. Sam stared at the metal and back to the window to accept the skill. He prepared himself for the rush of energy, but that didn’t come. Only a slow warmth in his chest.

  “Take a breath in and out,” Wexi said, her voice low, guiding. “You can’t control the energy surge yet because you do not know any advancement methods. So ease your breathing and let your body break down the surge.”

  Sam nodded, his breathing heaving and easing slowly. Wexi watched him nervously. Sam opened his eyes when he felt like the process had ended. He fell forward, almost crashing face-first on Wexi’s office floor, but she caught him and pulled him up. Sam’s head felt a little heavier for a moment. He closed his eyes, anchoring himself to Wexi’s touch. A nervous gasp hissed out his mouth.

  “First times are always rough,” Wexi said, letting him lean back on the couch. Sam let his eyes peel open, the wave of exhaustion dissipating fast.

  Wexi watched him for a couple of minutes, barely containing her enthusiasm to try out his new skill. Sam stared at the notification in front of him.

  [Skill log]

  You have received one skill for Advancement!

  --Appraisal [common]: You can get detailed data on anything you scan. Data clarity is dependent on your advancement and the integrity of what you scan. Upgradable!

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

  You have received a domain skill!

  --Proto-Crafting [Uncommon]: You can acquire the foundational knowledge and skill necessary for crafting basic constructs. Upgradable!

  Sam read both skills to Wexi. She nodded, looking satisfied with what she heard. Sam was surprised about the first skill, but Wexi explained that it was a part of his advancement. It happens with every new domain he achieves. That spurred him for the future. He wasn’t sure how soon it would happen, but he was sure he would get a second domain. Wexi went back to her table, shuffled around roughly, and came back with a tiny ball of polished silver metal. She stood there for another long moment before going back to the cabinets. There she searched through many of the drawers, cursing when she didn’t find what she was searching for.

  “What do you think that is?” Wexi asked as she searched. Sam stared at the ball in his hand. He didn’t know how to use the skill yet, but he imagined it was the same as the system, so he thought about what he wanted to do and the system’s window flashed into view.

  [Appraisal]

  --- Runestone [common]: A basic rune stone carrying an abbreviated spell for wind manipulation. Has a usage span of three minutes. It can be used for crafting or triggered remotely.

  ---Essence usage: minimal.

  That excited Sam. He wondered if he could do what Wexi did with the Glock’s hammer. He tried, but the stone dropped and Sam plucked it before it touched the ground. He told Wexi what he’d learned and she stopped, turning to give him a proud grin. Sam felt a small tug within—warmth. Her kindness was different.

  “I am beginning to feel like that legacy function is a way for the system to show you favor. Unfair,” she said, giving him a mock frown. Sam chuckled, placing the stone on the chair. Wexi went back to searching for whatever it was she wanted. Sam picked up the slab of metal and appraised it to find it was something called Cellium. He’d never heard of it before, but his appraisal gave him very little detail. Only that it was mined near Arak-Co and common in that area. There was no quality count or whether it was common or uncommon generally.

  “What is the system?” Sam asked. The question had been at the back of his mind for so long. And he expected Wexi to know. Instead, she turned to him and shrugged. She had a pamphlet in her hand. It was brown, old, and filthy. She walked back to her table, took a darker slab of metal, and walked back to Sam.

  “I don’t know,” she said. “No one from my generation knows and the records of Cragforge were lost long ago. No one knows.” Sam stared at her, trying to see through whatever lie she was serving him. But she wasn’t. He nodded. “There are older places on the Island, and some of us who valued adventure. They ventured out and came back with stories of cities with domes, towers, and canals. Those stories were very popular twenty years ago. Most of those adventurers are either dead or lost out there. They never returned.” Sam didn’t know what to say to that, so he stayed silent, staring at the parchment in her hand. She was quiet for a while until she recalled what she’d been trying to do and waved the parchment in his face. Sam took it, realizing what she wanted him to do at once. It was a simple construct from the diagram he was looking at. It was a simple launcher, small enough to hold like a pen. He stared at what could only be its blueprint. It had only three components. Or four if he was counting the rune stone. It needed a small chamber for the essence to pass through to the rune stone. But before that, he needed to build a small turning mechanism with an essence filter attached to it. He shook his head, looking up at Wexi.

  “This looks too complicated,” he said. “I’d blow your office up, Wexi.”

  She grinned, shaking her head. “Silly, you think I would give you anything really dangerous for your first time? This is to test what complexity your skill can handle. Get on with it. We will begin your training soon, but I need to see what I’ll be working with.” She picked up the bar of metal she brought and did the same thing she had done at Jin’s. The purification was fast and the foul smell spread and vanished almost as fast as it began.

  “What do I do?” Sam asked, peering at the parchment. The lighting in Wexi’s office was just the right intensity, which made it easier for Sam to see the tiniest part of the diagram. It was detailed and amazing.

  “You drew this?” he asked. She nodded, grinning as if he’d told her she was beautiful. Sam imagined things like that wouldn’t move someone like Wexi.

  “Many years ago,” she said. “Your skill sounds like it would cover most of your lack of knowledge as long as you know and understand what you are trying to create. The key parts of the skill are creativity and the creation. I am very much interested in seeing how you handle the latter.”

  “So I just have to understand what you drew here?” Sam asked, reading it for the fifth time. Wexi snatched it from his hand, shaking her head.

  “You don’t have to read it. That is what your Appraisal

  skill is for. Your Appraisal

  skill gives you a basic understanding of whatever you are appraising. And whatever minor knowledge you lack, your Proto-Crafting

  skill will cover the gap in understanding. See? Perfect!”

  Sam nodded, stretching for her to give him the parchment. He tried to hide it, but he was just as excited to see what he could do with the skills. He appraised the parchment and got a very brief appraisal of the parchment itself. Then he realized it appraised whatever he thought or concentrated on, so Sam focused on the diagram.

  [Appraisal]

  --Simple launcher blueprint [Unranked]: Basic plans for a simple launcher. It can be used for crafting.

  Sam read what he saw to her. But even as he read it, he felt like he knew more, a new understanding dawning on him in a rush. He let out an intense exhale, trying to calm his nerves. Wexi was grinning, awash with anticipation. Sam felt like warning her. He wasn’t sure how it would turn out, but there was a desperate fear that he would disappoint her. She picked up the slab of black metal and gave it to him. He picked up the rune stone in his other hand and closed his eyes to revisit the clear image in his mind. His appraisal had fed it directly to him, like a memory he’d just recalled.

  “This being your first time, you might feel a high depletion in essence. You will be fine. With time you can regulate the process, controlling the expenditure. Not that you can change the general volume of essence you can use for a skill. Also, it depends completely on what you are trying to construct. You can’t use the same essence for this to make something like Vale’s weapon.”

  Sam nodded. That was within his expectations. He sighed, did a couple of hard breathing exercises to distract himself, and then he stopped, focusing completely on the metal.

  [Proto-Crafting]

  --Crafting sequence status: initiated.

  Sam heard a crack as the metal heated in his hand. He opened his palm, letting it move as it would. It folded and stretched again as if going through a reformation. It warped, curved, and smoothened. And then it lifted from his hand, the process becoming even faster. Wexi squealed in delight, but Sam was too focused to look at her. Every process of the crafting pushed through his mind like a speeding motion picture. He held the rune stone above the working, waiting for the perfect time to add it to the mix. He felt Wexi there, like a distant figure lingering in his periphery.

  Sam dropped the stone and wished he hadn’t.

  --Integrating rune stone

  --Checking integrity…

  --Integrity confirmed: %87

  --Integration complete.

  --Construct’s stability: %89…%100

  The launcher construct was a finger-length dark cylinder with a wider opening at one end. It was completely plain, but he sensed the rune stone within it. Like Wexi, he was eager to try it, so he pressed on the underside and felt the rune stone pull essence from him. They both waited a breath and a half before Wexi knocked it off his hand with a shocked wail. Sam was too slow to move. He was still seated when the rune stone exploded and a small blast of wind shoved him back and off his seat. From behind the chair where she hid, Wexi fell laughing.

  --Construct’s status: Defective

  [Begin fault analysis?]